Weird Science Awards: Brace Yourself for More Black Holes in Siberia

In the world of weird science, 2014 was the year of zero-G gecko sex that ended badly, laser-guided sea monkeys and the first transatlantic smell transmission. But even those weird tales can't match the rise of the Siberian black holes.

It's not just the strangeness associated with coming across a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) crater in one of the world's most remote regions: There's also the buzz over whether the pit was created by a massive meteor strike or an alien invasion, as well as a possible link to the accelerated thawing of the permafrost due to climate change.

Some experts have suggested the Siberian black holes were opened up by the sudden release of methane gas that had been accumulating beneath the ice for millennia due to the slow decomposition of buried organic material. But Tom Wagner, cryosphere program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, says a more likely factor has to do with the water that's created by Siberia's thaw.

"That water is carving out tunnels and caves under the permafrost," Wagner explained on PBS' "NewsHour" in August. "And we had probably a collapse, and the water blew back out and brought out the material that you see erupted around the edges."

Both methane and water may play a role — and if the climate models that predict a warming world are correct, there could be many more black holes to come. Researchers are exploring the craters they know about already, and poring over satellite images as they search for more.

"Some of the questions we're asking are, 'Wow, how many more of them are out there? And how can we find them?'" Wagner told NBC News on Monday. "It's a fascinating mystery, and I think we're going to hear some more about it next year."

For all these reasons, the black holes of Siberia win the highest honors in our annual Weird Science Awards, also known as the Weirdies. But it's also worth giving a shout-out to other scientific tales that make you go "oooh," or "ewww."

We've put together a list of 15 more highlights (or lowlights, depending on your perspective). Go to the NBC News Science Facebook page and cast a vote for your favorite by "liking" the image associated with the story. We'll rank the stories based on the number of likes received, and crown the most-liked story with the Weirdies' People's Choice Award.